


Together

by Marrilyn



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Rowena Gets A Hug, Rowena Needs A Hug, Tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-05 05:35:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14037303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marrilyn/pseuds/Marrilyn
Summary: Reader doesn't know how to cheer Rowena up, so she hugs her instead.





	Together

Cheering Rowena up had always been a challenge. The woman was difficult to please in all aspects; if you wanted to do something for her, from surprising her with a cup of tea to getting her to calm down after a nightmare, you had to try your hardest. Rowena responded to nothing but the very best.

Today had been bad from the start. First, Rowena had woken up in the middle of the night. Lucifer may have been miles away, but he was still haunting her dreams, still hurting her, still killing her almost every night. The image of his true face had been her constant. She could barely sleep without its presence sneaking into her dreams and turning them into the most terrifying of nightmares.

Rowena had been shaken all morning, the devil's face never leaving her thoughts. That had triggered a flashback, which, in turn, had made her burst into a fit of tears and sobs. It had taken you almost an hour to get her to stop crying.

Ever since then she had been silent. She had not moved from her seat on the couch. She was still, motionless; had it not been for her chest heaving, you would have thought her dead. An untouched cup of tea stood on the coffee table. It had gone cold by now. Rowena stared straight ahead. Fear had never left her, settling in her eyes like a parasite sucking the life out of its unwilling host.

You wanted to cry. You were helpless, completely and utterly helpless. Your girl was suffering and the only thing you could do was watch her. You could say nothing, do nothing to break her out of her shell. Rowena had not said a word for hours, and you couldn't even try to get one out of her.

Useless. That's what you were. A useless girlfriend.

Every cell in your body was screaming at you to do something. But what could you do? You couldn't make the nightmares stop. You couldn't make the flashbacks disappear. You couldn't make her feel safe. Hugs and kisses couldn't get Lucifer out of your lives.

But they were the only thing you had left.

Taking a deep, determined breath, you walked over to Rowena and took a seat next to her. She paid you no mind, stare still locked with distant nothingness. It hurt to see her like this. Her face didn't show it, but she was falling apart. Lucifer had broken her body once. Memories of him, on the other hand, had been breaking her soul every single day. She was powerless against him, powerless against the pieces of himself he had left to haunt her, to pick at her wounds like vultures tearing apart their lifeless prey.

You put a hand on Rowena's shoulder. You left it there for a few seconds to test the waters, ready to remove it at any sign of protest. When none came, you extended your arm and put it around her. Carefully, you pulled her to you. Rowena allowed you to bring her closer and wrap both of your arms around her in a tight, loving embrace. Her head rested on your chest, your heartbeat ringing in her ear. She closed her eyes, relaxing in your hold. Her first movement in hours.

Victory!

"He can't hurt you here," you said softly. You caressed her hair, fingertips dancing through the silky red tendrils. Her hair was beautiful, just like her. Just as fiery, just as soft.

Rowena put her hands on your forearm. Her touch was gentle but firm, as if she was holding on for dear life.

"I know you're scared, but I promise you, you're safe. I'm here and I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Not again." You left her alone once and had come back to a ruined, blood-sprayed hotel room and Rowena's burned corpse on the floor. You were never going to make that mistake again. "You're gonna be okay."

Rowena finally spoke. "Sam said I will always be scared." Her voice was distant, as if she wanted to distance herself from the reality of those words, distance herself from the emotions it brought with it. Saying it out loud hurt.

As had hearing it.

"Maybe you will. But you can learn to deal with it," you said. "People live their whole lives with PTSD. I'm not saying it's easy; it's definitely not. But it's manageable."

"They only have to live with it for a few decades. For me, it's centuries. I can't spend centuries like this!" Coldness pooled on your chest; Rowena had started crying.

You tightened your hold on her. "We'll find a way."

"No. No, no, no. No! I want it to go away!"

You wanted that, too. You wanted it with all your heart. The problem was, this wasn't something that could disappear with sheer force of will. It could be dealt with. It could be learned to live with. But it couldn't simply vanish.

"Hey, hey," you soothed, gently rocking her like a parent consoling their child. Rowena leaned further into you. "Maybe Sam was wrong. He's human, right? They're different than witches. They don't have magic. Maybe there's a spell or something that can help."

"What if there's not?" Rowena asked.

"Then we deal with it the human way. Together."

"I can't."

"You can and you will. I'll help you. I'll be here every step of the way."

"I don't want to burden you."

"It's not a burden. Honestly. If it ever becomes too much, I'll let you know, okay?"

You can never go wrong with a compromise.

Rowena calmed down a tad. She nodded. "Okay."

"But it won't," you assured her. Taking care of Rowena came naturally to you. It could never be a chore. Kissing the top of her head, you said, "I love you."

"Likewise, darling."

Love was the only thing the two of you needed. As long as you were together, you could survive anything.

**Author's Note:**

> Edited by OswinTheStrange.


End file.
